World report

VLADIMIR ISACHENKOVAssociated Press Writer

Published Sunday, August 06, 2006

Pakistan, India expel diplomats

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan on Saturday expelled an Indian diplomat it said it had caught with "sensitive documents," and India responded by ordering out a Pakistani diplomat, in a setback to the nuclear-armed rivals' shaky peace process.

Pakistan and India often have expelled each other's diplomats over spying allegations. But Saturday's expulsions were the first since the two countries agreed in January 2004 to resume peace talks, the Indian statement said. Deepak Kaul, an Indian visa official in Islamabad, was caught "red-handed with sensitive documents," a Pakistani government official said. He declined to give details.

India responded by ordering Mohammed Rafique, a visa official at Pakistan's High Commission in New Delhi, to leave India by Aug. 7, Pakistan's foreign ministry said.

Ethiopian foreign minister arrives in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Ethiopia's foreign minister arrived in Somalia Saturday to mediate disagreements among the leaders of the nation's U.N.-backed transitional government, which is under pressure from an Islamic militia that the United States accuses of harboring terrorists.

Seyoum Mesfin became the first Ethiopian official to visit Somalia in many years. The neighboring countries fought a war from 1977 to 1978 and view each other as enemies, but Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf is a longtime ally of Ethiopia.

Tropical storm slams China, death toll mounts

BEIJING -- China's death toll from Tropical Storm Prapiroon rose to at least 31, with 14 more people missing, state media reported Saturday.

Deaths were reported in Guangdong province, where Prapiroon roared ashore on Thursday, and the neighboring Guangxi region to the west, the Xinhua News Agency said. It said 46,000 houses were destroyed and damage was estimated at $300 million.

Authorities evacuated about 400,000 people in low-lying areas of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, about 370 miles southwest of Hong Kong on the South China Sea, Xinhua said.

Aircraft maker, arms trader protest U.S. sanctions

MOSCOW -- Russia's state-controlled arms trader and top aircraft maker criticized Washington Saturday for imposing sanctions on them over dealings with Iran. The defense ministry said the move reflected U.S. annoyance at arms sales to Venezuela.

The companies were among seven companies Washington said violated a U.S. law known as the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000. The law is aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction to Tehran.

The announcement was made in the U.S. Federal Register, which reports on official federal actions.